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The corporate ladder isn’t always linear: 7 career tips from Dale Pease, VP of Division Operations

  • Writer: Stryker
    Stryker
  • May 19, 2023
  • 5 min read

Updated: Aug 14

 

Dale joined Stryker in 2016 as the Sr. Director of Operations. Since then, Dale’s held five

different roles at Stryker, working his way up to Vice President of Division Operations for Stryker’s Global Quality and Operations team. But Dale’s no stranger to internal mobility and championing his career path. Prior to coming to Stryker, Dale worked his way up from a buyer desk to Vice President by leveraging skills he learned in six different roles over a 12-year period.



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Dale has built a remarkable career at Stryker, including playing a key role in launching one of our employee resource groups, Allies for All Abilities (3A). Over the years, he’s also been deeply involved outside of work, from mentoring others to coaching his children’s athletic teams and serving as Vice President of their school board. As life has changed and his children have grown, so have his priorities. Today, Dale still finds meaningful ways to make an impact, both personally and professionally by channeling his energy into continual growth and new ways to make a difference.

We had the opportunity to speak with Dale about his career path, the lessons he has learned and the advice he would share with others who want to grow with purpose.


1. Ask yourself, “Are you looking for a career or just a job?”

Dale shared that early in his career, someone asked him if he was looking for a job or a career. That question made it loud and clear that if he wanted a career, he needed to be intentional. When talking about being strategic in your career plans, Dale noted, “You really own your own career and get to evaluate where you want to go and how you’re going to get there.” When you’re building your career, you need to map out a strategy.


2. Find a mentor

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Mentorship is one ingredient in the secret recipe for career progression. Having a mentor can be a valuable asset to your professional growth. Mentors offer a different way of learning by not only teaching you what to do, but also sharing what to avoid. At Stryker, employees have access to mentorship opportunities around the world, where colleagues are eager to share their expertise and elevate talent. Dale shared that one of the things that makes mentorship so powerful at Stryker is the environment itself. “You’re surrounded by people who are truly exceptional in their own areas of expertise. That kind of talent creates an atmosphere that pushes you to grow,” he said. Take advantage of your colleagues’ experience and ask them to help with your professional development.


3. Build your network and stay connected

In addition to finding a mentor, Dale stressed the importance of building your network and maintaining it. “Once you’ve had the opportunity to meet people, stay connected! Ask people if you can add time to their calendar to meet every six months or so,” he said. Leaders want to create a strong pipeline for future roles, by continuing to build these connections, you’re letting your interests be known and keeping yourself at the forefront of their minds as opportunities arise.


4. Recognize opportunities that align with your values and goals

Just before joining Stryker, Dale was at a professional crossroads. His current company was making strategic changes that would require his family to relocate out of state. While they had begun planning the move, a chance encounter with the parent of one of his children’s classmates changed everything. The parent, who was a Stryker recruiter, told Dale about an open role.

Although the position differed from his current title, it offered something far more important: the opportunity to build a career in a place his family loved, while working for a company whose mission resonated deeply with him. “I immediately felt a connection to the role and the mission,” Dale said. “Having the title of VP didn’t matter to me. Working with talented people who are the best of the best motivated me, and I knew after meeting the team that Stryker was the place for me.”


5. Be intentional with your time

Working full-time, advancing your career, traveling the world, furthering your education, being a parent and finding time to volunteer can make life feel nonstop. So how does Dale make it work?

One of the secrets to Dale’s success is to fully maximize his time by being intentional. What does this mean? If you’re going to be somewhere anyway, be involved, speak up and contribute.

In addition to his life at Stryker, Dale is also a parent to two children. When reflecting on being involved with his kids’ lives, he shared, “I have to prioritize, I realize I can’t do everything for everyone. However, if I am already going to be there – at a kid’s game for example, I may as well coach and be involved.”


6. Be an ally to all

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Following his daughter’s dyslexia diagnosis, Dale saw firsthand how the right support enabled her to thrive. This experience caused him to reflect, “Everyone has strengths, challenges and gets labeled differently. So, the question is, how do we help everyone? What is the first step?”

It turns out, the first step for 3A was a conversation with one of Dale’s Stryker colleagues. They recognized that people needed to become more comfortable discussing disabilities and that creating a platform to promote and advance disability inclusion practices within Stryker would foster greater innovation, engagement and productivity. “We were very keen on starting something that connected people with disabilities, the people who care for them, and provide support. It was important to us to start the conversation and bring it out of the shadows.”

Thanks to this initial conversation, the ball started rolling, and today, 3A can be found at Stryker locations across Europe, India, the United States and Costa Rica.


7. Believe in the “why”

What initially attracted Dale to Stryker was the mission: Together with our customers, we’re driven to make healthcare better. Although Dale has had an impressive career traveling the world, helping guide strategic business objectives and improving workplace culture through the foundation of 3A, the thing that keeps him going is his belief in Stryker’s mission. “I loved seeing a company where the mission and values are so strongly intertwined in what we do on a daily basis.” When talking about his career high points, he noted, “I don’t think it’s happened yet. I want to continue to help the company succeed and grow, but I’ve loved having the opportunity to see our products in use and the impact they make on the lives of patients and surgeons. Seeing the difference our work makes is extremely motivating.”


If you're looking for more than just a job and want a career where you can grow, explore our careers site. It’s the first step in writing your own #StrykerStory.



If you're looking for more than just a job and want a career where you can grow, explore our careers site. It’s the first step in writing your own #StrykerStory.



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